Sunday, August 5, 2012

Fruit for depression? If that's the case, then the entire country should be growing fruit and not GMO corn & soy!! Sure, some drugs can boost the serotonin levels, but do you ever actually listen to the entire "effects" list on those TV ads? Maybe a "safer" approach is needed. Especially since so many people don't even have medical insurance! And you don't need a script to buy fruit!

High Veggies, fruits, shrooms, and soy have been associated with lower rates of depression. Leafy greens and fruit (Doug Graham, eat your heart out, no wonder you are so happy!) have been implicated in better behavior & better mental health in early adolescence. Why??

Serotonin is in plants. But it does not (alone) cross the blood brain barrior. But Tryptophan, apparently does. Tryptophan is a precursor to serotonin. Looks like people got pretty pissy when they didn't get enough tryptophan (in experiments with a low/no tryptophan diet). What about those pills you can just pick up at a supplement store? It sounds like there have been some deaths that were related to this supplement. However, Dr. G notes that it could be due to a dietary impurity. Meaning, maybe some type of contamination, etc....However..........there are pill free ways to amp up that tryptophan.

Tryptophan..........Most people think of Turkey or Milk. According to these studies, tryptophan is only in small quantities in animal foods, and is muscled out. However, according to this, the carbohydrates in plant foods allow the tryptophan to be better absorbed.

In the Video:

"When Trypotphan is ingested as part of a protein meal, serum tryptophan levels rise but brain tryptophan levels decline. This paradoxical relationship is due to the mechanism of transport used by tryptophan to cross the blood-brain barrier."

The tryptophan in the turkey, cheese, egg breakfast dropped. The waffle, OJ group-the levels went up.

And carbon rich, protein poor evening meals actually improved PMS! After carbs? The serotonin increases. So peeps with PMS may actually "over"eat carbs to try and improve their bad moods.....

Kala Chana "Black Chickpea Curry" Recipe from The Indian Slow Cooker . This one is from page 80 of " The Indian Slow C...

Disclaimer

Obviously this blog is purely for entertainment. I am not a doctor nor do I even play one on TV (no comment on foreplay). Anything I write is based on my own personal experience and you should consult a doctor (choose one wisely!!) if you have any medical concerns. I take no responsibility for any information you use from this blog.